Scarborough? Why is Scarborough a Hidden Treasure? It’s got one of the most famous beaches in WA and Australia stretching along our coastline. For locals and tourists alike, Scarborough provides relief from the summer heat and for generations has been the place to go.
Whether you’re a widgie or a bodgie, a skater or a surfer, a bruncher or a luncher, Scarborough is the beach precinct we pack out every summer. So, I was set the challenge of finding Hidden Treasure in a known treasure and this is what he found. Enjoy the audio link below and enjoy a bit of reading as well:
Scarborough. What I found was that you can enjoy Scarborough without getting the sand between your toes or anywhere else, or that pesky saltwater stinging your eyes.
There are buses, there is Aboriginal urban art, there are walking tours to clear the mind, lookouts to blow your mind and snake pits and whale skeletons to explore.
There’s even a hill just for watching the dying of the days light. And there’s enough burgers or fish and chips or ice cream for before or after all that activity.
Let’s start with Saturday Morning on the foreshore promenade where you’ll find Perth’s newest market.
You might be familiar with the iconic Sunset Markets but if you’re up and about early you can try the Scarborough Beach Farmers Markets full of healthy local fresh fruit and veges and breads and brightly coloured vans and stalls selling cookies and crème brulees and deep fried cheesecake!
Before we come back to the foreshore, let’s walk off some of the mornings treats with Bush, Beach and Bubbles!
Fun Fact! The sand dunes in the Trigg area (we’re calling it Scarborough today) are parabolic. Try a walking tour with the Hike Collective which is as much about mental health as it is about just a little bit of physical exercise.
So, back to the foreshore and still keeping our toes away from the sand and water and not giving the lifeguards anything to do, let’s have a walk through the giant Whale Playground which is great reminder of just how big whales are and just how much fun we can all have in a playground.
The playground flows into the grassy Sunset Hill and some really cool Climbing Walls and of course the iconic, notorious and infamous Snake Pit where my mum use to trek to Scarborough from Midland to dance as a widgie and then cool off with a swim and a malt milkshake that hopefully some boy would buy her.
These days the Snake Pit is for skaters, scooters and even little bikes if it’s not too busy. Tip that beanie back on your head, put a scowl on your face and if I’ve got my skater lingo right, “fill your dives to 3.5 metres and hit the ramps, rails and banks.”
Around the foreshore, take some time to follow the Tjunta Trail, an urban art trail that tells the story about how a spirit woman finds a group of children who go missing. There are five locations around the foreshore that tell the story although when the markets are on you might find them hard to see.
Is that enough walking about for a while? Let’s hop on the newest tourist experience in Perth that ….. drumroll please …. is free! It’s free!
It’s so free that queues are starting to form as word gets around of the double decker bus, the Sunset Coast Explorer, that makes its way from the Scarborough Pool and winds its away along the sunset coast.
The bus has a crew of conductors to answer questions and tell you to sit down if you’re clowning around up the top in the fresh air. It’s a hop on hop off service and is running all summer every Saturday and Sunday. Be a tourist, have some fun and wave at the locals at the all the cafes.
One of Perth’s best hidden treasure museums has to be the Mount Flora Museum. We’ve spoken previously about museums that only survive because of volunteers and Local Government support. This is one of the best if you’re interested in the social history of the area. Exhibitions feature ‘windows into the past’. Check online for when they’re open or call the City of Stirling.
On top of the museum is one of Perth’s best lookouts and we really are going to have to do a Hidden Treasure on views of Perth because it’s little wonder this lookout on top of the museum used to be an observation post during World War II. The lookout also has a really vivid mural that encircles you in a complete 360 degree burst of colour and representation of Australian wildlife.
Scarborough is a hidden treasure because there’s a lot to do and see before you get to the sea. Places to walk, places to sit, markets to explore, bus rides to whoop for joy and wave at the locals, local and ancient history, lookouts with views to forever all make Scarborough a staycation destination that I’ll tell you a more about next week. But that’s a story for another day.
Mabul Island: All your days I will sing in praise of your forests, waters, your shining sands.
Chris Parry Writes For Us 